Harrington suffers another Malaysian rollercoaster ride
Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club
Padraig Harrington’s rollercoaster 2015 season is coming to a suitably up-and-down finish in his first event of the 2015-16 campaign on the PGA Tour.
Having decided to remain in Asia following his ill-fated attempt to qualify for the European Tour’s Final Series in Hong Kong (he missed his 12th cut from 26 starts this year at the UBS Hong Open), this year’s Honda Classic winner headed for Malaysia and the no-cut, $7m CIMB Classic at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club,
“It seems a bit of an oxymoron but this week I am finishing my season by starting a new one!” Harrington told his Facebook followers. “When I was coming out to Hong Kong it made sense to play here as well - as it turned out I got in off the reserve list last Friday so it all worked out well….
"This week has been much cooler than normal - it’s far from cold but for Malaysia it is very pleasant. They are saying it is down to the affects of some fires in Indonesia, where the haze from the fire is blocking out the sun.”
Alas for Harrington fans, his game has been freakishly hot and cold.
In three rounds he has made one eagle and 14 birdies but lies 59th in the 78 man field on three under after racking up seven bogeys, one double bogey and a quadruple bogey seven.
Having put off an opertation on a knee injury since August, he's clearly not 100 percent physically must have keyhole surgery almost as soon as he gets home next week so he can recover in time for the start of his 2016 campaign proper.
“This is my last tournament of the year - I’m finishing up earlier than other years so that I can have a knee operation and have the time after it to recuperate,” Harrington wrote.
Having dropped just one stroke in an opening, four under 68, Harrington added a 72 in round two as a quadruple bogey seven at his second hole left him a lot of work to do.
He began well in Saturday morning’s third round with birdies at the 10th and 12th. But he then had an erratic nine-hole run from the 15th (his sixth) to the fifth (his 14th) where he made one birdie, five bogeys and a double bogey to slip to four over for the day.
Harrington then proceded to finish two-two — birdie-eagle — for a one over 73 and a share of 59th.
At three under par, he’s 17 strokes adrift of co-leaders Justin Thomas (67) and Brendal Steele (66), who lead by one stroke on 20 under par from Kevin Na.
